Film and TV student wins Kodak competition

Swinburne film student, Edward Goldner has won the Australian national first prize at the 2010 Kodak Film School Competition for his cinematography on Morning Star.

The short film, directed by fellow student Jessica Lawton and produced by Lani Kingston, is set in the early 1900s in an ominous, rural town, where a young widow finds her faith is restored through the presence of a mysterious man.

"Having the opportunity to shoot Morning Star with state of the art equipment and film stock was an amazing experience. I am absolutely thrilled to have won this award, I certainly didn't expect it," said Goldner.

"Jess and I were keen to shoot on film right from the start, given the film's period setting, which we felt would have been difficult to construct on other formats."

The national competition was judged by Director of Photography, Philip M Cross ACS, whose credits include Under The Radar, Cubby House, and Blurred.

Cross said Goldner showed maturity in his handling of the technical aspects of being a cinematographer, as well as creativity in the use of the camera as an active and vital part of the storytelling process.

"This film achieves its potential with the work of every department being supported by Ed's creative and technically proficient work as the cinematographer," Cross said.

Swinburne Film and TV lecturer Jeff Bird was thrilled to learn of the award.

"Edward is not only one of our most talented students, he is also one of the hardest working. It's wonderful to see all his hard work rewarded," Bird said.

Advanced cinematography is a key component of Swinburne's film and television course, which is supported by industry standard production equipment and professional cinematography training.

This is the second consecutive year a Swinburne student has won the Kodak award. In 2009 Simon Walsh won the Kodak award for his cinematography work on Dirt.

The annual Kodak competition is designed to encourage outstanding young filmmakers who specialise in cinematography and provides international recognition and tangible support for talented young filmmakers at an important juncture in their careers. The winner from the Asia Pacific Region judging will receive the major prize of a trip to the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France.

For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/filmschoolcompetition